Lifelong Madera resident Philip Oberti passed away on August 19 at the age of 83.
Oberti and Klina Lyon were married for 61 years and were recently lauded by Madera for their longtime support.
Phil and Klina Oberti were married in 1965, and since then, Philip has been working to help Madera grow.
Two years ago, Philip and Klina were honored as Old Timers’ Day Grand Marshals. Last year, the couple were named Lifetime Achievement Award recipients.
“We are honored,” Phil said in a 2024 interview. “We feel like a lot of other people deserved it before us. We’ve traveled a lot. It’s always nice to come back to Madera where your roots are. They will always be here. Our roots will end up in Arbor Vitae. I hope they keep the water going.”
However, the Obertis weren’t sure they were eligible to receive the honor.
“We didn’t realize how old we were,” Phil said. “We are honored. I’m 81 and she’s 79. We didn’t expect or even think we would get it.”
Oberti, who grew up around the Oberti Olive plant, went away from the ranch. He transitioned to commercial properties with holdings in Madera and Fresno. His reach went as far north to San Francisco.
Over time, Philip Oberti was a member of a lot of committees with a common denominator — growing Madera.
“I was a member of the Madera City Planning Commission when I lived in town,” Phil said. “I was a member of the Madera Parking Commission. I was a member of the Madera Rotary and the Madera Community Hospital Board. I was on the Cal Poly School of Business Advisory Council, and an honorary alumnus in 1991. I’m a member of the Madera Downtown Association and the Madera Elks Lodge. I go to the Downtown Association every once in a while.”
One of Oberti’s biggest goals was to revitalize Downtown Madera.
“When we grew up, downtown was a neat place to go,” he said. “Then, the shopping centers went in. This downtown has been a lot of work. I was a founding director of the Downtown Association. We’ve tried to revitalize downtown. We are trying to have something like Visalia and Clovis. There are a lot of consultants involved.”
He was a founding member of the Madera Downtown Association and consistently supported the City’s downtown improvement efforts.
With the City collaborating with Caltrans’ upcoming plans to redesign East Yosemite with roundabouts and improved sidewalks, Oberti sees a strong opportunity for façade enhancements and a unified color scheme — efforts that could give downtown Madera a fresh identity and vibrant new energy.